Americans, others held by militants in Algeria

Foreign-operated gas field seized; 2 die

By SCOTT SAYARE AND ADAM NOSSITER THE NEW YORK TIMES

Posted: January 17, 2013 at 4:20 a.m.

Islamist militants seized a foreign-operated gas field in Algeria early Wednesday and took 20 or more foreign hostages, including Americans, according to an Algerian government official and the country’s state-run news agency, in what appeared to be a retaliation for the Frenchled military intervention in neighboring Mali.